We Failed Ghanaians; Kingston on Starlets Tournament Failure

The former head coach of Ghana’s U-17 team, Laryea Kingston says the entire team and its technical team disappointed Ghanaians when they failed to realise the objective to reach the finals of the WAFU Zone B tournament.

The Starlets’ campaign in the tournament came to an end in the semi-finals where they were humbled by the Burkina Faso.

Their qualification for the finals would have secured them automatic qualifications to the CAF U17 African Championship and the FIFA World Cup.

According to Laryea, the level of support the team garnered from Ghanaians in the campaign deserved a reciprocate victory which didn’t happen and thereby his decision to resign.

In a statement released, he apologized to Ghanaians for the failure and bore the full responsibility for it.

“I believe we fell short of our objectives, and as the leader of the team, I take full responsibility and sincerely apologize for letting down everyone who has been negatively impacted by this. I have been overwhelmed by the support, prayer and well wishes this current Ghana U17 team has generated in the media and the public discourse.

“I realized that the reasons for the immense support has largely been because of the work the technical team, which I am privileged to lead the past few months, our playing style and the commitment of the players to change the narrative about Ghana’s U17 team’s recent history.

“I apologize unreservedly for our failure to pay back the trust, love and support we have graciously received from Ghanaians. We worked very hard for several weeks for the chance to reach the final of the WAFU tournament to compete for the ultimate prize, but it was not to be.”